In a milestone achievement, the Kenya National Hospital (KNH) has decided to change the status of all contract employees to permanent and pensionable, thus eliminating uncertainty that lasted for years for health workers and making a new standard for the employment conditions in the public health facilities nationwide.
The decision is the result of long negotiations between the management of KNH and the union representatives, which led to an agreement that provided job security, better benefits, and full adherence to the terms and conditions of public service for the workers on contract.
The announcement is a huge improvement in labor relations at the referral hospital of the Kenyans for the many staff, who have been on insecure contracts for over ten years.
As per the agreement, all the contract workers who meet the criteria, that is, nurses, clinical officers, technicians, administrative personnel, and support staff, will be incorporated into permanent positions in the hospital’s human resources structure.
This will be done through phased releases, starting with the current quarter, with full implementation expected by the middle of 2026.
Union leaders called the agreement a significant triumph for the rights of workers and a step to correct the situation that they termed the systemic exploitation of the frontline healthcare workers.
“This breakthrough restores dignity to service in our public health sector and ensures that those who dedicate their lives to saving others are themselves afforded stability and social protection,” a union representative stated after the signing.
The KNH management recognized that the whole procedure was a tough row to hoe, but at the same time they made it clear that the outcome has resulted in the lifting of a barrier that had been hindering the staff’s morale, retention, and performance for a long time.
They further explained that the agreement is in sync with the bigger picture of reforms in the health sector, which have the strengthening of human resources for health as one of their priorities.
Moreover, besides the conversion of the employment to a permanent one, it also entails the granting of pension benefits, accrual of leave, and entrance to promotion pathways and deduction of statutory charges as per public service regulations in the whole country.
The Ministry of Health has reacted positively to the situation and has also promised to assist hospital management in carrying out the changes in such a way that there will be practically no service disruption at all.
Analysts in the health sector are of the opinion that this development might encourage similar demands in other government institutions where contract employment is the trend.
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